Recommendations for Maui Molokini backwall?

[MauiScubaSteve]

not a fancy site but answers to most of those questions are easily found.

tanks, dive equipment, type of boat (fiberglass), diver/DM ratio (max 6-1), capacity, actual divers per trip, picture of cushioned seats, home page mentions extended bottom times...

Actually, I just reviewed the PRODIVE(R) website, and it says nothing about Nitrox, nor does it give any prices for the dive..

Answers to most of the quoted questions and more are easily found.

If you thought you learned everything you needed to know from web sites you might decide without ever actually talking to people, which is not really a good plan. Email can paint a more complete picture but phone contact is better, with email confirmation.

Are you planning multiple boat diving days? Any Shore diving interest? What days are you planning to visit Haleakala Crater &/or Hana? Web sites should easily be less than half your research/planning. Or maybe you can aford to come back another time to do it right?

 

[kidspot]

btw - "most" of the boats on Maui are 12 packs, and very similar in layout. Aluminum hulls, bench seats along both sides, table down the middle. Gates port and starboard with 2 ladders on the transom. The exceptions are Prodiver (6pack, and smaller boat than the 12's run) and Lahaina Divers (24 pack - 46' boat - much larger than anyone elses) I'm not aware of any other boats that are substantially different ... so the boat is usually a non-issue here (other than a few small amenities like the type of ladder, snacks or not, fresh water shower etc..)

Differences come in the crew/owners and how your needs fit with what they provide. I'll probably go out with ERDA and MS one day just to see what they are like, and I have no doubt that I'll have a good time with them too - (I also want to dive with Lahaina Divers at least once) but like most around here I have "my" boat op ... in my case I'll keep going back to B&B - I like their casual family atmosphere and I just "fit" in with them

If you stick with the ops mentioned here on this thread, you really can't go wrong and you'll have a very memorable dive trip.

Aloha, Tim

P.S. Be sure you get some shore diving in while here too, some really great sites are not on the dive boat lists.

 

[Cacia]

Lahaina Divers (24 pack - 46' boat - much larger than anyone elses) I'm not aware of any other boats that are substantially different

oh yea...that boat was next to us at the harbor...muy grande, do they do whale watching too?

 

[KrisB]

You know when I read your post, I smile because I find it all hard to believe. Especially the part about Charlie.

I think the only thing I said about Charlie is that he is the only hospitable, knowledgeable employee of B&B that I've met.

As for Brad, that's just his charming personality. He looks that way all the time.

Fine... that doesn't mean it makes a customer feel at all welcome.

As for ERDA, why did it take you years of diving with them to find out you don't like them.

Because after the first incident, I didn't contact the owner -- I figured it was a rogue DM and didn't expect him to be around long. I've you want, I can PM you the same details I've provided to others.

It wasn't until further issues arose and I was urged to contact the management with my concerns, and that's what really did them in -- the concerns were met with a strong "well that's the way it is and I don't really care what you (a paying customer) think," straight from Ed himself. Considering the concerns were both diver safety and legal issues (which, when reported to the DLNR, they took an interest in).

Now that you've got all that off your chest, do you feel better? I really hope so.

Blesi, I don't do this to "feel better" -- I do this to help people find an operator that isn't overhyped, and truthfully, I think it was this overhyping that caused me to end up having these poor experiences with ERDA as they're no better than any of the other operators in any quantifiable way. And qualitatively / subjectively, they're far worse, IMO.

Dive safe.

And you also.

Well said. I couldn't have said it better. Ask any experienced DM's/Instuctors and they'll agree with you.

If a person was over-sensitive, they might consider that a flame.

I think a complacent, experienced DM takes the attitude that the diver's profile is the diver's responsibility. You could brief it and say don't go deeper than 70' then because you're on Nitrox decide to go check something out at 90'. They happen to follow you... whose fault is that?

As long as a DM is in the water, there is an element of responsibility towards his/her charges. As soon as you decide to try and pass the buck off to the diver is when you start having incidents.

 

[kidspot]

oh yea...that boat was next to us at the harbor...muy grande, do they do whale watching too?

Every boat does during whale season ... some by design and others because, well, how do you NOT see those huge animals jumping out of the water 100 yards away?

 

[DiveMaven]

The Lahaina Divers' boat is definitely a big boat, and as such there's a lot of room for all the passengers to sit and move around. I've rarely felt crowded on the boat and have always appreciated being able to get up and move around, as well as the very large (handicapped accessable) bathroom.

I think Lahaina Divers has a nitch in that they seem to specialize in the beginner or occassional diver who needs a lot of supervision and hand holding. And IMO they do an excellent job with those folks. Since there are a lot of those people on island (including the cruise ship tourists) they do a brisk business.

Unfortunately for us, they DO take the group back to the boat when the first person gets low on air, so a lot of our diving with them has been right under the boat since they don't make everyone in the group get out of the water at the same time.

We're both quite pleased with our experiences with Ed Robinson's and have never seen or felt any safety issues with them, thus we will continue to dive with them until such time that we feel differently.

 

[river_sand_bar]

If you thought you learned everything you needed to know from web sites you might decide without ever actually talking to people, which is not really a good plan. Email can paint a more complete picture but phone contact is better, with email confirmation.

Well, I would have to think at least the price would be listed.. Plus, being on the west coast its a 3 hour difference and cost of a long distance phone call, that should have the simple questions answered. Yes, I agree, that when making the final details of the dive, its better to talk with someone personally.

Are you planning multiple boat diving days? Any Shore diving interest? What days are you planning to visit Haleakala Crater &/or Hana? Web sites should easily be less than half your research/planning. Or maybe you can aford to come back another time to do it right?

Yes, to the multiple day boat dive.... and OF COURSE some shore diving. This is my 5th trip to Maui, so I have some knowledge of the island... just have never dived there before. Not going to do Haleakala or Hana again... gonna travel to the great north west this trip and see the blowhole and the pools.

One thing that I am really looking forward to is a shore dive right outside the condo... I am staying at the Hale Mahina and last time I was there went snorkeling on the reef there....this time I am going to dive it...

Does anyone know about that reef right there??

 

[ArcticDiver]

Kris B:
Hmmmm...you strongly infer, if not directly say, that Ed Robinson sends lots of divers to the chamber because they are bent. My guess is that you have a personal problem with them. While it happens on SB that people slander others, or invite people to PM the poster so slander can be "privately" rendered that really doesn't speak very well of the poster.

Plus, having been the subject of such a slander campaign I can tell you the person/people doing the gossiping will suffer far more than the object of their wrath.

So, no I don't believe that Ed Robinson has any greater safety issues than any other operator. THINK...they don't operate their business in a vacuum. The market would shut them down if they were consistently dangerous. Plus, since HI lives on tourism you don't think the locals who live on those tourists wouldn't put pressure on them to shape up? In fact the other businesses have a vested interest in making sure every tourist has the best, safest, time possible, leaves happy and comes back to spend more money.

Now, I'm not an employee or agent, nor do I have any other interest than having some modicum of fact in these posts. After all, posters have a tendency to take stuff posted here as fact, not the opinion that it actually is.

 

[Cacia]

Plus, since HI lives on tourism you don't think the locals who live on those tourists wouldn't put pressure on them to shape up?

uh...no.

My guess is that you have a personal problem with them. While it happens on SB that people slander others

He is not slandering anybody, he is giving his personal observation/ experience. What else is there really, unless you just parrot the "conventional wisdom?"

 

[river_sand_bar]

Plus, since HI lives on tourism you don't think the locals who live on those tourists

WOW... I didn't know locals ate tourist.... not sure if I wanna go now..